Revolution: Charlie Matheson & her Journey

A woman worth idolizing

             Not many female characters are worth being role models for young women but one has become worthy of recognition: Charlie Matheson. She doesn't wear heels or a dress but she's got a big heart and a strong will that can match any man that she hasn't cut down literally and figuratively. So let's examine our favorite heroine from our favorite show Revolution.

That girl "died" a long time ago

        When we first met Charlie she was a wide eyed, innocent girl with a noble heart who hated the thought of killing. She was a dedicated big sister and a bleeding heart who had to help a person in trouble no matter what. Charlie loved helping people and saw the good in many especially her bitter old Uncle Miles. Charlie grew up without her mom, which made her learn in the past that she had to toughen up and that she had to be the mother figure for her little brother Danny; watching him 24/7 barely sleeping to make sure he was still breathing. I guess that's where she got her "motherly attitude" wanting to look out for others even people she doesn't know. But then her soul kind of cracked after discovering that her mother was not only alive but was responsible for the Blackout and then she lost her brother again but this time there was no way to bring him back. 

Charlie's got a gun, she beat it out of Annie's cold dead hands

       For the rest of season 1, Charlie sort of attached herself to Miles, modeling herself after him, becoming a fine little soldier. This put her in a rocky place with Rachel. Rachel couldn't help but see Charlie as her baby, the crying girl she left behind, which caused some friction. Charlie had romanticized her mother after she thought she had died; I suppose Charlie saw a strength in Rachel she wanted to emulate being as Rachel shot a man dead in front of her kids after Ben couldn't. That saintly image was basically shattered. Charlie realized that she had the best mother figure in Maggie who tragically died and then a bond with Nora who was kind of a kindred spirit. So Charlie had older women in her life that were better female influences than Rachel turned out to be but then she lost them in one foul swoop leaving her Rachel.

First love is always the sweetest

Now counter parry

          On Charlie becoming a fine little soldier, she used to weep at the thought of just killing someone, especially if it's a good person. She was good with a crossbow but arrows are less destructive and final. Then Charlie learned how to handle a gun and developed a certain callousness. I could also see that Charlie had a calculating mind in times of battle, putting her emotions out of the equation for the good of the team. When Rachel wanted to kill Tom Neville, Charlie became an impenetrable wall that Rachel couldn't get past. Not all the crying in the world could make Charlie move. Then Charlie tried to kill Monroe but she changed her mind after realizing that he could be useful in their fight against the Patriots. So much so that it caused severe conflict between her and her mother. I think Rachel's unstable emotional state kind of annoyed Charlie. She saw her mother as self destructive and detrimental to their team. It was Rachel's emotions that killed Nora and burned down 2 cities destroying millions of lives. 

This guy didn't catch a girl he caught a tigress

Sorry pal she's not on the menu tonight

          But even though Charlie and Rachel clashed, Charlie could always find it within her heart to forgive her. In fact, Charlie found herself forgiving even Jason after all he had done to her. Charlie practically fell to pieces when she shot him straight through the heart. She still saw the good in Jason that no one else seemed to see and holding him dead was like she was holding her heart again like when Danny died. It was a major blow, but her losses never completely destroyed her. Charlie matured a lot since the start of season 2. She began to understand her mother and there were times when Charlie would deal out advice to the adults in her life like her grandfather and Miles. Out of all of them you would think that Charlie had it all figured out. She let go of hating her mother because it just seemed childish at that point.  

Charlie would have been too much for Bass anyway

             Charlie had gone from girl to mature warrior woman who could keep up with the boys; well the boys had to keep up with her really. She did a lot of growing up within a short amount of time. Even though she's been to hell and back, Charlie came out alright with just a few cuts and bruises. She had an iron will that always helped her get right back up every time she fell. She could have fallen apart, curled up in a ball and quit but instead Charlie would wipe the tears away and pick up a gun then charge right back into the fray. There's more to womanhood than being pretty, sweet, and wearing make up, Charlie showed that a woman can be a man's equal especially during war times where she can fight and die in the trenches alongside her fellow soldiers. But she will also always be the voice of reason who would preach mercy instead of more bloodshed. So hats off to Charlie Matheson, a model for all young women.

She faced the worse odds but came out alive